Airborn

Lexi, Riley, and Annie are three ordinary girls. Or at least that's how everyone else sees them. The truth is, they have a secret. Their secret - if brought outside of their circle, would result in death.

7. Ummm…No Thanks

Riley grudgingly slammed her locker shut. Just another long boring day of school. At least next class was English, which meant that she would get to be with Lexi.

Speaking of Lexi, Riley thought. Where is she? Class starts in a minute!

Suddenly, her best friend came running down the hall, her backpack slung over one shoulder. "Hurry!" Lexi said. "We're gonna be late. Mrs. Brooklyn doesn't tolerate tardiness!"

Riley stood there wonderingly as Lexi ran past her towards Room 201. After a few seconds of staring, Riley hurried after her friend. There was no way that she was going to answer to their elderly English teacher's harsh punishments, again.

~

Riley wiped her brow. In gym class, they were doing gymnastics. Right now they were doing somersaults and cartwheels (or at least trying to, in Riley's case), but next they had to climb a rope hanging from the ceiling and jump about two stories down into a huge foam pit. She looked over at Annie and Lexi worriedly, already dreading the sure problems that were to come.

"What are we gonna do?" Riley whispered to Lexi after tucking and rolling.

"She does that to everyone," Riley answered, avoiding their teacher's withering gaze.

"Wow, I'm in bad shape!" Annie hissed at the two girls on the ground across from her. She was trying to do a flip on the trampoline, but her knees kept giving out from exhaustion. Blowing her hair out of her eyes, she said, "Who knew these could make your legs feel like Jello? Oh, and for the rope-climbing thing, how 'bout I fake like I'm sick and you have to help me?"

Lexi took to the idea immediately. "OMG! Great idea! And then we would have to take you to the nurse, and probably skip all of class! Like, totes amaze!"

Riley, on the other hand, took a more skeptical route. "But what if General Samski doesn't buy it?"

"Oh yaaa!" Riley agreed between push-ups. "Remember that one time? Haha, that was so great. But still - what if - " She was cut off by Ms. Samski's piercing whistle signaling that it was time to move on to the next circuit - the rope.

"Hurry up, Princesses!" Ms. Samski bellowed from her position next to the rope.

Riley gulped nervously. She was not​ a good lier. As she walked slowly over to the rope, she felt horrible. Her palms were clammy as she got in line.

"C'mon Riley," Lexi called. "We're up next."

Riley nodded several times. Just as they had previously arranged, Annie suddenly doubled over.

"Uhn," she groaned. "Ms. - Ms. Samski, I don't feel…so good."

"What's wrong now, girls?" The gym teacher glared down at them from the raised platform next to the dangling rope.